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INDIA-BRITAIN-CRIME-MODI
India seeks celebrity jeweller’s extradition from Britain
NEW DELHI, Aug 20, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indian authorities said Monday they
have asked Britain to extradite fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi
after he was seen there.
Modi, who is allegedly at the centre of a $1.8 billion fraud, fled India in
February and has since been linked to several countries.
But a Central Bureau of Investigation spokesperson told AFP: “We received
confirmation from Britain through our Interpol channels that Nirav Modi has
been seen there.”
The bureau was also in contact with the United States, France, Singapore,
Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong as it launched a global hunt
for the tycoon.
The fraud involved India’s second largest state-run lender, the Punjab
National Bank.
Modi and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi, a diamond merchant,
are accused of illegally diverting loans from the bank to foreign-based
companies.
Choksi is believed to be in Antigua.
Modi, 47, had luxury stores in several major cities and boasted celebrity
customers including actresses Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet and Priyanka Chopra.
Before the case Forbes estimated his worth at $1.73 billion, placing him
85th on India’s rich list. He has now been removed.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1445 hrs